To the Membership:

As 2016 comes to a close, I want to take a minute and thank everyone for another great year as a club. I’m proud of everyone who has contributed one way or another, on or off the pitch, and pleased with the progress we’ve made as a rugby family.

While we’ve had some successes, the year also brought a tremendous loss with the passing of Mike “Dr. Death” Breczinski. While his nickname may suggest otherwise, Mike lived life to the fullest. It should be a reminder to us that nothing in this universe is for certain, and that nothing should be taken for granted. So, please take a few minutes this New Year’s to reflect and be thankful for those who are still a part of our lives.

With 2016 almost behind us, I’m pleased to say I’m looking forward to 2017 and the future of our club. This coming year will mark the 45th anniversary of Flint rugby. We should take tremendous pride in this.

With the future in mind, I’m setting “recruitment” as the club’s top priority in 2017. Every activity we do this year, I want members to think about ways to integrate recruitment. For some events this will be easy to figure out. Other activities may be a challenge. But we must put this effort in.

What we have as a rugby team is special, particularly for Flint. This doesn’t need repeating, but Flint is currently facing some of its greatest challenges. It is my hope that 2017 will be our greatest year in reaching out and sharing who we are. I want the Flint Rogues to be another representation of the “never give up” attitude that defines this city.

If we can do that, our club will continue to grow and we’ll see more success on the pitch.